Autism In The Classroom

Do you have a student with autism or ADD/ADHD in your class that has a hard time sitting still or focusing?  Often providing small opportunities for movement can actually increase your special students concentration.  The key is to find something discrete that allows for some movement, but doesn’t become a distraction to the class.  Here are our top five strategies:

Use an Exercise Band around the Student’s Chair legs.

A simple exercise band wrapped around the front of a student’s chair legs allows a child to kick and get their energy out, increasing focus and decreasing distracting movements.  Best of all if the student is sitting at a desk it’s completely quiet and out of the site of other students.

Give the Child a Small Hand Fidget.

There are a couple of hand fidgets that work really well in the classroom depending on the student.  Small stretchy frogs have long been a classroom favorite.  These work well because they’re inexpensive, discrete, and are great for squishing between fingers.  This is a nice option for mainstream kids who tend to lose things.  Usually they come in a bag so a teacher can keep a supply in her desk for the times a student really needs it.

Isoflex balls work well with older students who may also be dealing with anxiety.   Squeezing the ball or putting it between a student’s hands to squish can instantly relieve tension and increase focus. A micro bead filling provides enough give so that it takes some effort to squeeze, but not too much effort.  However, the skins of these balls are made of several thin layers of latex.  So if you have a destructive student, or one with a latex allergy, look at another option.

Tangle Relax This fidget can be broken into two smaller rings, is very sturdy, and fairly inexpensive.  It comes with a bumpy rubber skin that is a very pleasant tactile experience.  Extremely durable, this is a nice option for elementary age students as well as adults.  However, it is designed to snap open and shut and can break into small parts that could pose a choking hazard for young children or those with cognitive challenges.

Let them Sit on a “Wiggle Seat“

A simple wiggle seat a student  can sit on can encourage exercising the student’s  core muscles.  These small core exercises can keep energy levels down, decrease distractions and help with focus.  If you have a student  with posture issues you may want to get a Move N Sit. This is a wedge shaped cushion that encourages the pelvis to tilt forward aligning the spine.  Thankfully, there are discount versions available that are just as good.

Let them chew something.

Do you have a student who is sucking or chewing on their clothes, hands or pencils?  If so this may be a calming or focusing strategy.  Why not give them something appropriate to chew on?  There are a variety of inexpensive chewable jewelry options as well as clear pencil toppers you can use in the classroom.  For younger children (preschool and under) a popular option is a Teether Ball.  Not only is it a chewy, but it can keep hands busy during circle time.

Try a weighted vest, or Lap Pad.

Easily distracted students may respond positively to the additional weight of a weighted lap pad or  a weighted vest provides.  In a recent review article from the Journal of Autism Developmental Disorders the author noted:

“Five of the seven studies reported some improvements in behavior of children with ASD.  Weighted vests seemed to reduce stereotypic (repetitive) behaviors in some of the children. The vests increased attention or on-task time for some children.  However, these were small studies and could not measure behaviors reliably.”

Every child is different.  Sometimes finding a focus strategy for your special student takes some trial and error.  If you have a helpful focus strategy please share it!

Since many children with autism spectrum have a difficult time understanding emotions we offer several varieties of emotion flashcards sets. We often get questions about these items, so here is a little information about each of our emotion flash cards sets.

Stages Language Builder Emotion Cards: In terms of emotion flashcards sets, this set is the cream of the crop. This card set features 80 3.5” x 5” photo cards that depict various facial expressions and emotions. The nice thing about this set is each emotion is featured eight times by different people. These emotions are: happy, sad, angry, surprised and disgusted. This is very helpful for generalizing recognition of emotions. The set also features 40 more images depicting real-life situations and activities that elicit a wide range of emotions. On the back of these cards are suggested conversation starters that are specific to each scenario. This card set is very popular for intensive behavioral programs, home use with parents and early intervention classrooms.

People and Emotion Photographic Learning Cards: This emotion card set offers a variety of ways to explore people and emotions. This set features 22 photographs of emotions that moves beyond basic emotions and looks at more subtle emotions such as shy, grouchy, or worried. This set also includes 23 photographs of families from a variety of ethnic and cultural backgrounds. 23 photographs of children engaged in common school and social activities. 22 photographs of people engaged in common careers that children see in their community. This set also includes a resource guide with additional teaching suggestions, activity ideas and word lists.  This set is very popular in preschool and early intervention classrooms.

Emotions Flash Cards: This set features 22 high quality photographic cards that represent a wide range of emotions. Each 8” x 5” card features a close-up of a young child’s face. The common emotions happy, sad, worried and angry are each featured three times, which helps with generalization. Several other emotions are also pictured including surprised, scared, serious, bored and disgusted. The size of these cards also make them a nice choice for circle time, bulletin boards or other small group settings.

More Emotions Flash Cards: The More Emotions Flash Card set is a continuation of the Emotions flash cards. This set continues to show pictures of happy, sad, and angry as well as lots more emotions such as lonely, surprised, sick and nervous. Use this with the Emotions Flash Cards to create an extensive high quality set of flashcards that examine emotions.

Facial Expressions Flash Cards: This flash card set features 45 4″ x  5″ photographs of children displaying a wide variety of emotions and facial expressions. Close shots of children’s faces ensure that learners will focus on the facial expressions. Emotions include happy, sad, angry, surprised, as well as more subtle emotions such as worried, upset or bored. The discussion and story starters include guided questions that develop expressive language skills while teaching children how to recognize emotions in others, describe their own feelings and demonstrate empathy.

By: Kimberly L. Gallo

“He’s acting weird,” words of concern from me to my husband. “Maybe he has autism,” I blurted out of nowhere. Autism… What is autism? Why did I just say that word out loud to my husband? Especially since I have no idea what autism is?

This was the start of our journey; the word came flying out of my mouth and I knew it must have come out for a reason. It was then that I looked up the word “autism” online. The year was 2003. After finding a list of signs of autism on my computer screen, and seeing that our son had all five signs, I was convinced.

The same week of his diagnosis, our younger son was born. It didn’t take long to see that our new baby was more interested in the letters on my shirt than looking into my eyes. Here we go again.

I craved eye contact and smiles from my sons. It didn’t seem fair that I had to work so hard for what other parents got naturally from their children. So I set out to make joint attention my goal. I had my face in my children’s faces as much as I possibly could. I remember one time singing “Row, row, row your boat” to my 4 month old son. I was smiling and singing while he cried and tried to get away from me. I had the advantage though, he was not mobile yet.

Being a constant cheerleader was the hardest thing I have ever done and the most rewarding thing at the same time. When I got a shared moment of happiness, I felt like I was on top of the world.

Knowing how hard it is to create that bond between parent and child with autism, and knowing how vitally important the bond is, I was spurred into action to create a product that would make interacting with ASD kids something to look forward to. I wanted to make products for parents and educators that could bring out the laughter and the eye contact in a way that was fun for everyone. My husband and I created “Playtime with Zeebu” for this purpose.

First and foremost, Zeebu games, DVD, books, and puppets are tools that help parents and educators connect with their ASD children. The DVD and all of the activity books come with user guides and games that help parents facilitate joint attention. The Zebu puppet acts as a bridge from the video to the real world enticing children with ASD to want to play along with their parents and care givers. In the back of each of our activity books there is a section called “Playing Together Games”. This section has my favorite face to face games; games that my children still ask to play today.

My journey is not over; my boys are now 8 and 9 years old. Like most parents of children with autism, I am constantly looking for a new key that will unlock the part of their brain that autism has closed off. I take it as a challenge; I enjoy the hunt for the key because when I find the key that fits, when that door is opened, it will give me more energy and a purpose to tackle the next locked door.

During the winter when children have few opportunities to go outside it can be difficult for students to focus.  It can be especially difficult for students with special needs to focus or sit still during teaching times. Here are a few tips to help your students focus when medication is not an option.

Help students focus with a mouth fidget.  Gum, chewy tubes or chewelry, work well to help students calm or refocus.

Provide students with a Fidget.   Fidgets are small toys a student can hold in their hand that can help students increase focus and attention. (Rotz, Wright, 2005) Good fidgets should have a combination of an interesting tactile composition, pliability, and some movement opportunities for the hands and fingers.

Let students stand while they work or sit on a Seating Discs.  Children who have problems focusing in the classroom may “under register” movement and without that ability they can’t focus. Although they look strong in quick actions, the body can’t endure long periods of sitting or standing. Sit discs are ideal for providing kids with movement and tactile stimulation while sitting in their seats. Literature indicates positive effects of dynamic seating for children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) for attention and classroom behaviors (Schilling & Swartz, 2004; Schilling, Washington, Billingsley, & Deitz, 2003). As a group, students with IEPs and those considered At-Risk demonstrated overall improvements and/or consistencies in rate, accuracy, fluency, and comprehension while seated on an air-filled cushion. Students with IEPs showed the greatest increase in reading rate and comprehension with a full or almost full grade level of improvement noted. Best of all, both the teacher and the students in this study noted that the air-filled cushion was not disruptive and easily fit into the classroom routine.

Use a visual timer to help students focus. A visual timer help students understand the passage of time and they can monitor their own activities. Better time awareness can help with focus and attention and also relieve stress and anxiety.

Help students focus by creating a simple card with the word “wait” written on it. For some students this extra reminder can help to keep them seated. Its important when using a wait card to make sure there is ample time for breaks.

Help fidgety students focus and burn off some energy with an exercise band.  Place the band around the bottom of your student’s two front chair legs. Students can sit and fidget with their feet without disturbing the class.

Use a Weighted Vest, Lap Pad, or Shoulder Weights.   According to a study by the Challenge Infant Developmental Center, Brooklyn, New York (Fertel-Daly, Hinojosa, 2001) children with autism, who used a weighted vest, displayed an increase in attention to task and decrease in self-stimulatory behaviors. The most consistent improvement observed was the decreased number of distractions.

We hope this simple suggestions will help your students focus.  If you have an idea or technique that you have used to help your students focus, please share it!

Roland Rotz, Sarah Wright (2005) Fidget to Focus, New York, iUniverse, Inc.

Schilling, D. L. & Schwartz, I. S. (2004).  Alternative Seating for Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Effects on Classroom Behavior. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.  34, 423-432.

Schilling, D.L., Washington, K., Billingsley, F.F., Deitz, J. (2003). Classroom seating for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: Therapy balls versus chairs. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 57(5), 534-41.

Fertel-Daly D, Bedell G, Hinojosa J., (2001). Effects of a weightedvest on attention to task and self-stimulatory behaviors in preschoolers with pervasive developmental disorders. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, Nov-Dec;55(6):629-40.

Transitioning can be difficult and stressful for people with autism spectrum disorder.   Here are five techniques that can help to reduce anxiety and give a sense of predictability to transitions.

1. Create a Schedule

Create a schedule the student can refer to.  This can be a simple written list of activities or a sequence of pictures or both. Schedules can prepare a student for a transition by allowing them to anticipate upcoming activities and understand the sequence of events that will occur. Using schedules can decrease transition time and lower anxiety and melt downs.

2. Show Activities as Finished

Marking activities as finished naturally prepares the student for the next activity. If using a picture schedule have a finished pocket for the student to place the picture of the completed activity in. For routine schedules, laminate the schedule with a box next to each picture that the student can check off as complete. Or simply use a piece of paper and write out the schedule and allow the student to cross each item off as it is completed.

 3. Use a Timer

Time is an abstract concept that can be difficult for autistic students to understand. Using a timer gives students a visual of how much time is left before a transition. It can also help to keep some kids on task for projects they don’t like, because they can see it has an end. Some timers, like the Time Timer give an additional visual of the countdown of time.

 4. Make sure there is ample time for transitions.

Rushing to stay on schedule is stressful for anyone. Especially with new routines at school allow adequate time for autistic students to process the transition and move on to the next activity.

 5. Give the student a transition item.

Sometimes carrying a familiar item during a transition can add a sense of continuity and comfort. Some students keep an object with them throughout the day.  For others it’s helpful if they get the item after they have completed a project.  Allowing the student to get the transition item may help prepare them to move on to the next activity.

Fidget toys-we love them. Fidget toys can help relieve stress and increase focus and attention. More and more teachers are reporting that learners focus better and retain more information if they have something to do with their hands. Good fidgets should feel interesting, provide movement for the fingers, be durable and not distract others. The following is a list of our five favorite fidget toys.

 The Tangle Relax

This is by far our favorite fidget toy.  The Tangle Relax features twistable rubberized Tangle pieces with a bumpy rubberized cover. It’s durable, quiet, and people love the way they feel. It’s big enough to break in half to make two smaller sized fidgets.  A larger size version of this is the Tangle Therapy; this fidget toy is a little more expensive but also fantastic.

Nubby Stretch & Bounce Ball

The Nubby Stretch and Bounce Ball has a bumpy soft cover and is filled with a foam putty a student can quietly stretch and shape. The unique texture is soft and stimulating. This fidget toy is particularly nice for kids who need to squeeze something. However, for someone who is particularly aggressive with their squeezing you may want to try an  Isoflex ball.

Large Porcupine Ball

The Large Porcupine Balls is about 3 1/4″ in diameter. These balls feel interesting, provide lots of movement and exploration for the fingers, are quiet, and the threads on these are thicker than a Koosh ball. They are very sturdy and as an added bonus they’re fun to throw and easy to catch!

The Tactile Atom Ball

The Tactile Atom Ball has long tentacle like arms that stick out from the center that are soft and squishy. The tentacles are bumpy and knobby making it very interesting to hold and touch. This fidget toy is fairly sturdy, but if you have a student who is particularly aggressive we would not recommend it.

Stretchy Frogs

What can we say; Stretchy Frogs have been around forever! They are small, stretchy, and very inexpensive making them a nice option for teachers.  They are great for students who move from class to class because you can easily put them in a pocket.

Did you know that you can set your autistic student up for success, just by making a few changes to your classroom or buying the right autism materials? We’ve put these tips together to help you start the school year off right.

Use Visual Supports

• Post a classroom schedule as well as an individual schedule that the student can refer to throughout the day. Knowing what to expect will decrease anxiety and increase independence.
• For the first day of school have a seating chart ready before the student with autism arrives. Have a plan in place to help them identify and find their seat.
• Often students with autism have a difficult time understanding personal space.  Define personal space by drawing masking tape outlines on the floor. Make sure there is plenty of room between desks.

Pay careful attention to where the child with autism is seated.

• If possible talk to last year’s teacher. What worked well for the child last year?  Was the child seated in front of the class, in the back, or side of the class?
• When deciding where your special student will sit be aware of noise.  Many students with autism process normal sound as too loud or quiet. It can be difficult for these students to filter out background noise. Have the autistic student sit away from the hallway, pencil sharpener or water fountain.  Have on hand ear muffs or ear plugs.
• Keep in mind who will sit next to the student with autism. Is there a child in your class who is especially helpful, kind, or compassionate? If so let them sit next to the student with autism.

Minimize Distractions

Children with autism pay attention to details and can miss the big picture.

• Wall charts and posters can distract from your teaching.
• While teaching, try to teach in front of a blank background (i.e. a chalkboard with with minimal writing).
• Minimize distractions by storing unnecessary or large equipment in closed cabinets.

Provide Calm Place

Change is difficult for people with autism. A new school year, new class, and a new teacher can be overwhelming for the child with autism. Try to create a quiet area for your autistic student to go for breaks. This could be a table with dividers or a small area in the corner of the classroom with a bean bag chair and some headphones. The area should be free of visual distractions and easily accessible. When you notice the child becoming agitated direct them to their quiet place. It’s better to let the child calm down when they begin to get frustrated instead of waiting for a full meltdown.

Pay Attention to Sensory Stimulation

Normal sensory experiences can seem overwhelming or even painful for the child with autism.

• Fluorescent lighting can be distracting or even give the child with autism headaches.  You may want to purchase some classroom light filters.
• Students with autism can be very sensitive to smells avoid air fresheners and perfume.
• If the child is especially sensitive to sound make sure to give them warnings before loud or unexpected sounds such as fire drills. Have a set of headphones available to help with noise.

We hope these tips will help you have a successful start to your school year.

For more helpful tips visit Autism 101 for Teachers.

A fun and simple oral motor activity that kids love is a bubble factory.  All you need to make it is a straw and a clean empty yogurt cup.

 To make it cut two holes in the top of a yogurt cup:

Cut a small hole on the top of the lid and a larger hole on the bottom. Fill the yogurt cup half full of bubble mix. Insert a straw in the small hole and let the child blow bubbles. If you are worried about the child sucking up the bubble mixture, cut a hole in the straw about one inch down. This will keep them from sucking up the bubbles.

Once you’ve gathered ABC behavioral data, it’s time to actually put it to work. The next step in using ABC data is to look for patterns in the student’s behavior and form a hypothesis.  Once you form a hypothesis you may need to gather more evidence to to make sure your hypothesis is correct. You can gather more information about the child’s behavior through interviews with members of the child’s IEP team, parents, and other support staff. The cause of a behavior usually becomes more apparent when there are consistencies in both ABC data observations and functional assessment interviews.

ABC data should be used every so often to track the progress of IEP goals, along with classroom observations, and interviews. Essentially, the main goal of ABC data is to help the IEP team learn about patterns and functions of behaviors present in a particular student. ABC data can also help the IEP team to evaluate behaviors, behavioral plans and make modifications as needed to address problems or challenges associated with an autistic student.

When developing an IEP for an autistic student, it’s important to observe the child’s behavior to look for patterns, functions, and preferences. Because autism spectrum disorders have a direct impact on behavior, it’s important to develop a plan using behavioral data so that it’s easier to tackle communications challenges, social interactions, sensory needs, and other important goals in an IEP.

ABC data is a type of behavioral research that utilizes observations to help develop a positive behavior support plan. ABC refers to three separate observations:

• Antecedent – the events, action, or circumstances that occur before a certain behavior. For example, a teacher asks a student to pay attention.
• Behavior – the behavior itself. For example, using the teacher and student interaction, the student ignores the teacher.
• Consequence – the action or response that follows the behavior. For example, the teacher repeats herself sternly.

If you are gathering ABC data on an autistic student, you may want to develop a three column chart that charts each ABC action (antecedent, behavior, consequence). Be sure to note the time and any environmental factors that could have contributed to the behavior.

Remember do not interpret or characterize the behavior. Identify what preceded the behavior, what the behavior looked like and how long it lasted, and what the consequences were. Its important to report the conditions as objectively as possible. It may help to act as if someone else were observing and reporting. Objective data can help the IEP team develop a plan of action for helping an autistic student deal with his or her behavioral and social challenges.